You and the Night and the Music
by Natters13
Summary: London, 1823: Bella is attending her cousin Rosalie's 18th birthday ball and is expecting another night of tedium and boredem but what she didn't expect was to meet a young gentleman who would be able to capture her interest and make her evening enjoyable
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This is the first of three (entirely unrelated) one-shots which came to me randomly one day. I hope you like it. I was surprised by how easy this story was to write. I'm thinking of writing it again from Edward's POV but that depends on the response this gets first.

I also have to say a big thank you to chels926 for betaing this story and for sending me a long list of title ideas. The title is a song by Frank Sinatra.

I've posted links to their dresses on my rpofile so have a look if you want to.

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I stared into my mirror and sighed. _I can't believe they are making me do this again!_ I understood that it was Rose's 18th birthday and that she should be allowed a ball if she so wished, but I didn't understand why I had to go. To be honest, I did understand why I was being made to attend and that was because my evil cousins were trying to introduce me to a specific young gentleman. Evidently, at the Queen's ball last week, they had met a very handsome trio of cousins who were considered to be the most eligible bachelors in the country. It seemed that my cousins had become rather enamoured with two of these fine young gentlemen and were now trying to set me up with the third.

There was a knock at the door which announced the arrival of my maid. I immediately knew it was Mary because my darling cousins never bothered with knocking, and my aunt and uncle were far too busy making sure that everything was perfect for the imminent arrival of our guests.

"Will you be needing anything else before the ball, my lady?" my maid inquired.

"No thank you, Mary. Also, if the cooks do not need any help, I suggest that you eat supper and relax for a while during the ball. I'll send for you if I need you," I said with a small smile. Mary was very good at knowing what I needed before I even asked for it, and although I didn't see why myself, Alice and Rosalie all needed our own maids. I was very grateful for Mary's help, but I knew she wouldn't take any time for herself until after the food was served and the kitchens tidied; that was just her way.

"Very well, my lady. His Lordship sent me to tell you that the guests will begin arriving soon, and he requests that you come down and greet them with the rest of the family," said Mary with a curtsey just before she left the room.

I turned again to stare at myself one last time in the mirror. My cousins and Mary had styled my dark hair up into an intricate but beautiful manner with a few strands of hair left down. I had to admit that I did look quite nice. My dress was an orange colour that I had not been sure about initially, but Alice had convinced me that it would suit me. The orange actually gave my face some much-needed colour. It was true that I naturally did have a pale complexion, but a recent illness had purged my complexion of its healthy glow. The colour of the dress rectified this. The dress had patterns sewn into the bottom of my skirts, and a tie was secured around my waist. The sleeves rested just off my shoulders. I agreed with Alice now – the dress did look divine!

I made my way out of my room and downstairs to the entrance hall where my family were waiting for the arrival of the first guests.

My mother died in childbirth, and when I was only five years old, my father died of smallpox, leaving me an orphan. After his death, I was sent to live with my mother's sister and her family, with whom I had been very close before my father's death. My uncle, Lord David Hale, was a very powerful member of the House of Lords while my aunt, Lady Jane, had become almost a second mother to me. My uncle had also been made my trustee in my father's will, and he had made sure that the estate was in order for me until I would turn 18 in four months' time. I immediately got on well with my cousins, Rosalie and Alice, and they were now more like my sisters than my cousins. I was very fortunate that my family had the means to take me in and I would never forget their generosity, even though my aunt and uncle often told me that it had been a pleasure to have me living with them.

Once I reached my family, I was able to see my cousins' dresses for the first time. They always made sure that I was dressed and ready before they got ready themselves, so I rarely saw their gowns before balls and other similar events. Rose was wearing a red dress with an organza covering. The top of the dress was white with red detailing and a red ribbon tied around her waist, while she wore white gloves that came to her elbow. Alice was wearing a blue dress that was in a very similar style to mine, except the sleeves actually rested on her shoulders and there were differences in the detailing. They also had both styled their hair in the same fashion as mine. For as long as we had been attending balls together, we had all worn the same hairstyle. I couldn't remember why we had started it, but none of us wanted to stop our little tradition. They both looked beautiful, and I immediately felt slightly inferior in relation to my looks when I joined them, no matter how often they tried to convince me otherwise.

"Ah Bella, there you are! I was beginning to think that I would have to send Alice to force you downstairs," her uncle joked with a smile. They all knew that I didn't really enjoy balls, but I'd decided to put on a brave face as it was for Rose's birthday and the first ball I had been forced to attend this month, for I had been ill with the flu for the past couple of weeks.

"I decided to not give my cousin the delight of dragging me downstairs when I am perfectly willing to attend Rose's birthday celebrations, Uncle. Alice would get far too much pleasure out of it anyway," I said with a smile to my aunt and uncle who were dressed in their evening best for their eldest daughter's birthday. I heard Alice give a little huff next to me and I turned and smiled at her. "You know it's true. Besides, you can't stay mad at me for long, you never can." Not two seconds later I was being given a hug by my excitable and energetic cousin.

Rose couldn't help but laugh and give us both a hug before stepping back and straightening her grown. "Thank you both for being my sisters and for helping with the preparations. I don't think my sanity would have survived if I didn't have you two to keep me calm." We shared another hug before the butler came into the hallway, announcing the arrival of the first guests. We had to take our places next to my aunt and uncle while Rose went back upstairs so that she could make her grand entrance once all the guests had arrived.

I always found greeting the guests tedious and rather boring, but Alice helped to alleviate the boredom somewhat. We were always next to each other, and once people were out of earshot, she would whisper comments that would have earned us both a scolding from my aunt if she heard. However, we had yet to be caught. Tonight, these greetings took even longer than normal due to the fact that my aunt and Rose had invited virtually every acquaintance of ours and even ones that Alice and I did not know. However, we were introduced to everyone and had to share pleasantries with them all.

I was beginning to grow very tired when I heard my uncle greet another gentleman very enthusiastically and I felt Alice immediately perk up beside me. "Carlisle! I'm so pleased you and your family could make it to our celebration. Of course you have already met my wife and youngest daughter Alice, but this is my niece, Isabella Swan," my uncle introduced us.

In front of us stood an almost inhumanly beautiful family. At the front of the group stood a tall blonde man who looked to be in his mid-40s. I presumed this to be the infamous Lord Carlisle Cullen, a close friend of my uncle whom I had not met before. Next to him was his wife. She was beautiful with caramel coloured hair and a gentle smile. Behind the Lord and Lady stood three of the most beautiful men I have ever seen. The first was fairly tall with a large build, dark curly hair, and dark eyes. He looked like the kind of man that you would not pick a fight with if you had an ounce of common sense. The man next to him was the tallest by far, with blue eyes and blond hair. His hair, however, was slightly longer than the other two's.

Finally, I looked at the last of the Cullen men. I stand corrected; he was by far the most beautiful human on this earth. I couldn't help the little gasp that I let out when my eyes rested on him. He had almost bronze looking hair and green eyes which captivated me the second I met his gaze. I found that I couldn't look away from him. It seemed as if he were trying to hold me there, like he didn't want to stop looking at me either.

It was not until I felt Alice subtly nudge me in the ribs that I remembered that we were not alone. "It's a pleasure to meet you all," I said quickly, and Alice and I curtseyed to the Cullens. They returned the gesture, and after another minute or so of the customary greetings and enquiries about one another's health, they walked into the ballroom to our left where the other guests were mingling.

Alice looked at me with this knowing smile on her face and whispered in my ear, "I'll tell you their names later. I have a feeling you weren't paying attention when they were introduced."

"Was I that obvious?" I asked worriedly. It would not do to insult anyone tonight, especially not someone to whom my uncle was so close.

"No, you weren't, but when I first met them, I wasn't listening either and needed to be told their names by my mother. So did Rose as well. I think they must have that effect on people, or maybe it's just us..." Alice trailed off as she turned to greet the next guests.

I was in a kind of daze for the rest of the greetings. It all seemed to pass in a blur, and soon we were entering the ballroom to wait for Rose's entrance to the guests. It was not long before the doors opened and Rose and my uncle walked into the ballroom. She looked beautiful as always, and I could tell that virtually every single male in the room was captivated by her beauty in that moment.

We were all seated and the servants brought out the food. It was, of course, divine, but what made the meal even more perfect was the fact that the Cullens were seated at our table. Apparently we had known them when we were younger but they had moved to America for two years to be with Carlisle's sister. She had become very ill and was unable to take care of herself or her son, Jasper, whom Alice told me was the blond man. They then returned to England, but the family had stayed away from London as they did not want to shock Jasper too much with the differences in culture or to place any pressure on him. Then, tragedy struck the family again when Esme's sister and her husband died in a fire which their son Emmett had survived. Emmett was apparently the one with dark curly hair. This could only mean that the beautiful, bronze haired man who sat opposite me was Edward, the man that my cousins hoped I would fall for. He was the only biological child of Carlisle and Esme, but Alice said that the entire family acted as we did, as siblings and as their own sons.

As the meal progressed I learnt even more about the Cullen family. Carlisle used to have a medical practice but had been forced to give it up when his father died and left his estate to him. His sons had all just graduated university: Emmett from St Andrews, Jasper from Cambridge, and Edward from Oxford. They had wanted to go to different universities after spending almost 20 years with each other. This had earned a laugh from the rest of the table.

It was very refreshing to be able to talk to people and not feel like I had to worry about society's rules and what everyone thought of me. Evidently, my aunt, and possibly Esme, had been in charge of the seating arrangements since Rose, Alice and I were seated opposite Emmett, Jasper, and Edward, respectively, but just by seeing how the others interacted, I could tell that her not-so-subtle pushing was only to encourage what was already there. I remembered Rose and Alice telling me that they both really liked Emmett and Jasper but I could now see that they really liked my cousins too. In fact, I didn't think it will be long until either couple started courting. Edward, on the other hand, apparently did not have any interest in the others' conversations but kept gazing at me. He seemed quite happy to simply talk to me.

After dinner, people began milling about while the servants moved any tables that would be in the way to the side of the room and opened the doors that lead out into the gardens since it was such a warm summer evening. Soon, the musicians began preparing for the first dance of the evening. Over dinner, my aunt and Esme had cleverly manoeuvred the conversation towards dancing and had somehow managed to secure our first dance with the Cullen men while the next four dances were promised to my uncle, Carlisle, Jasper and Emmett.

For that I was grateful because after dinner, Sir Michael Newton came up and requested the first dance. He was most annoying and could be quite rude if he didn't get his way. At every ball I was forced to dance with him while he kept trying to get me to allow him to call on me the following day. Alice and Rose seemed to think that he wanted to court me, but I sincerely hoped not. Besides, my uncle would never have agreed to a gentleman's request for his permission to court one of us without knowing our feelings on the matter first, and I most certainly would not agree to a courtship with Michael Newton. I knew that my aunt would be furious if she knew, but it gave me great pleasure to decline his request for the first dance.

When Edward approached me and held out his hand in a request for mine, I couldn't help but smile. Together, we watched Rose take her place in the centre of the dance floor with Emmett, as it was her place to open the dancing tonight. Shortly after the start of the music, Edward and I joined them on the dance floor, followed by Alice and Jasper. My aunt and uncle and Carlisle and Esme also joined us. Soon, the dance floor began filling up with couples. Edward certainly was a very good dancer, every movement seemed almost effortless to him.

We danced in a comfortable silence for a while but Edward was the first to break it. "So, Lady Isabella, why have we not met before? I find it very strange that I have never seen you before, or so I can recall."

"I was ill at the time of the Queen's ball, where I'm told you met my cousins, and I only received my physician's permission to get out of bed and attend social functions two days ago. My cousins have been very strict with me though. They made sure I had plenty of rest today, and I am under strict orders to sit down if I feel even slightly lightheaded. They worry about me far too much." We shared a chuckle as the dance came to an end and we were forced to swap partners.

I next danced with Emmett who was a better dancer than one would think when you looked at him, and he kept making jokes. It was a very entertaining dance to say the least. Then I danced with Jasper who was yet again a wonderful dancer, but we did not make much conversation. That's not to say that it was uncomfortable; I felt very comfortable not having to say a word to him; he seemed to be very good at putting people at ease. I also noticed that he still had a slight American accent when saying particular words. I could tell, though, that both of these young gentlemen were rather taken with my cousins. They could not help but to keep glancing at them throughout my dances with them.

After Jasper, I danced with Carlisle who was also a very graceful dancer. Over dinner I had found out that Carlisle had also been very close with my father before he died, and he was more than happy to tell me more about him. He also advised me to sit down for a while once I had danced with my uncle since I had only got out of bed two days ago after my illness. It seemed the doctor in him was still present after all these years; he joked that with three young boys to look after, there were no end of cuts and incidents that needed to be taken care of.

Finally, I danced with my uncle whom I could tell was almost bursting with pride for Rose. She had received many requests for dances and I would not be surprised if she did not get much of a chance to sit down at all tonight until the ball was over. "You look beautiful tonight, my dear. I wouldn't be surprised if I get at least five young gentlemen coming to me tomorrow to request my permission to court you and then another five for each of your cousins," my uncle told me. I couldn't help but to smile and blush at his words. "But of course I will refuse them all as I do not believe that there are any men on this earth that are good enough for my girls." I couldn't help but laugh at this. Ever since we were little, my uncle had remained adamant that that he would never allow us to marry someone whom he did not think was good enough and that in his eyes, no man would ever be good enough for any of us. It was very comforting to know that he would not try to force any of us into an arranged marriage or any marriage if we did not truly love our husband.

As the dance came to an end, my uncle escorted me to the seats where my aunt and Esme were seated, watching their children with much interest. A servant brought over a glass of wine for me and I sat with them for a while.

"And how did you enjoy dancing, Bella dear?" asked my aunt. "I've rarely seen you dance so much in an entire evening than I have seen so far tonight. Could it have anything to do with a certain dance partner perhaps?"

"I don't know what you mean, aunt. I danced all five dances with different partners, but I will say that they were all wonderful dancers, even my uncle."

"I tried to make sure that my boys grew up knowing that being a good dancer can be the key to a woman's heart," Esme explained with a fond smile as she glanced over to where Jasper and Emmett were dancing with Alice and Rose again. Even from here I could see the smiles on all of their faces and the glares that were being sent their way from almost every other unmarried man and woman here tonight.

Soon my uncle and Carlisle came over to claim their wives for the next dance, and I was left on my own. I did not mind being on my own; I always enjoyed watching the actions of the other spectators and dancers. It was sometimes too easy to tell when someone had an emotional attachment to one of the dancers while watching them dance with another.

However it wasn't long until my peace was disturbed by none other than Michael Newton, the man that I had been dreading running into tonight. Many of the young ladies present would be overjoyed to be the focus of his attentions, but not I. I found him too arrogant and pompous to be able to stand having a conversation with him. He was one of those men who believed that they were absolutely perfect and thus couldn't even begin to fathom why a woman might not be interested in him.

"Lady Isabella, what a surprise it is to find you sat here on your own. Would you care to dance?" he asked congenially.

I was trapped. I could refuse now, claiming a headache or a need to rest but then he would sit with me until I felt well enough to dance. Or, I could dance with him now and hope that one of my cousins would find a way to get me out. In the end, I chose the latter. This way, I could hope to find a way to get away from him as soon as possible.

"Very well, Sir Michael, I will share the next dance with you," I said while offering him my hand. I felt repulsed by the feel of his hand around mine; his hand felt clammy and I couldn't help but be reminded of the wonderful feeling I felt when Edward had taken my hand to lead me to the dance floor after dinner.

I felt very uncomfortable as we walked onto the dance floor. I saw my cousins out of the corner of my eye standing with the Cullen men and I sent them a look, begging them with my eyes to save me from the torture I was about to endure. One more thing I forgot to mention about Michael is that he had a tendency to step on his partner's toes when dancing, a tendency that I had the misfortune to endure at almost every society event that we both attended.

The music for the dance began and I realised that Michael had timed this to his advantage. It was one of the slower songs designed to allow young couples a chance to dance together intimately while still under their parents' supervision. You had to dance quite close to your partner, close enough that you could hold a whispered conversation without anyone around you being any the wiser, which was what Michael was trying to get me to do.

"I must say, Lady Isabella, that you look beautiful tonight. I was not surprised when you told me that your first few dances were already taken, but I do hope that from now on I shall be put in front of those dreadful and uncouth Cullens. I went to Oxford with one of them, Edward, I think, and I must say that I was not impressed. He refused to join the cricket team when we offered him the chance and instead chose rowing. Can you believe that?! I mean really, what does that say about a man if he would rather go sailing on a little boat than partake in a proper man's game?!"

It was obvious that he was trying to get some kind of a reaction out of me. He had often tried to hint at beginning a courtship between us but I had always managed to find some way to convince him otherwise.

"Actually, Sir Michael, I have heard nothing but good things about all of the Cullens. It seems that everyone with any form of good sense has told me that they have always found them to be above reproach."

This caused him to stutter for a few moments until he composed himself and replied, "Of course anyone of the London society has found them pleasant but talk to some of my friends from Oxford and it is a very different story."

"Oh, really? Because I was speaking with Professor Jamison, the Head of the University of Oxford, this afternoon when he visited my uncle, and he said that Lord Edward had been an excellent student and was well liked by both teachers and students alike."

Once again he was speechless for a while and I quickly sought my cousins out but they were dancing. The only person I saw who was free to save me was Edward. I looked at him, almost begging him with my eyes to help me, but before I could see his reaction, Sir Michael had recovered and tried to steer the conversation in another direction, one which I had been hoping to avoid tonight.

"Lady Isabella, I know that I have mentioned this before, but would it be alright if I called on you in the morning? We could go for a ride or to Wetherby's for afternoon tea if you like? I could even use the opportunity to talk to your uncle and gain his permission to court you."

"I'm afraid I won't be up too much tomorrow. I am still under the orders of my physician to not overexert myself for the next week or so, and after tonight, he said I should try to limit my activities tomorrow. And as for my uncle, I know that he has already told you and many other young gentlemen that he would be happy with _my_ choice of suitor and that it was completely up to me whom I court, and I am not looking for a husband at the present time."

I looked up and I don't think I had ever been more relieved to see Edward standing next to us than at that point in time. "Newton, do you mind if I cut in? Lady Isabella did promise me a second dance this evening after all."

Michael looked like he was about to protest but I cut him off. "Of course not, Lord Edward. I am a lady of my word, and I refuse to do anything that would point to the opposite."

Edward bowed and after Michael left, we started dancing together. I felt so much more comfortable dancing with him than I had with anyone else. He led me through the steps effortlessly. We didn't say anything for the rest of the dance and we just continued seamlessly into the next one. We simply looked into the others eyes, neither of us wanting to break the peace that had settled between us. It was amazing how comfortable I felt with him after only knowing him for an evening.

All too soon the dance came to an end but I was surprised by Edward's next request. "Would you like to walk with me in the gardens for a while? I feel the need for fresh air and I'm sure you could do with some as well after all that dancing."

"Why, of course." I was genuinely shocked as to why this extremely handsome young man was willing to walk in the gardens with me when he could be in here wooing any number of the other women present.

He offered me his arm and we exited the ballroom, unaware of the looks we were getting from many people present. As soon as we stepped out onto the patio I felt better, freer in a sense. I often found balls and other society events too stuffy and enclosed, and sometimes I just needed to get out into the fresh air for a bit. Luckily the air was still warm enough for me to need no more than my shawl to keep warm.

"So tell me a bit more about yourself, my lord. I hardly know anything about you and have heard only one bad account of your character. But I shan't believe anything that was said by that particular person if you prove otherwise to me," I said with a small smile.

"I will tell you everything about myself so long as you call me Edward from now on, I hate using titles between friends."

"Of course, but if I am to call you Edward you must call me Bella."

"Very well. What would you like to know, Bella?"

"What is it like in America?"

"Well, it can be very different depending on where you are...."

And that was how we went on for the next couple of hours, simply asking and answering questions about each other.

After about an hour we found ourselves near the kitchens. "Wait here, I'll be back in a minute," I instructed Edward before rushing into the kitchens. Mary and the rest of the servants were still there, waiting for the ball to end so they could clean everything up. They were eating dinner, so I tried to be discreet, but that failed when I knocked a stack of pans onto the floor.

"My lady, is there something I can help you with?" asked Mary while she jumped up from the table to tidy up my mess. I tried to help her but I was shooed away by her and the other servants who had come over.

"Actually I was hoping to get a blanket or a rug so that I could sit for a while on the grass without ruining my dress. I was trying to be discrete but I obviously failed in that." My clumsy tendencies were well known to my family and the servants; they were very good at avoiding them but not always entirely successful.

While the others were cleaning up my mess, one of the servants, Philip, I think, retrieved a blanket for me and I was ushered out of the kitchen by Mary, instructing me to go enjoy me evening and not waste it in the kitchens.

I returned outside to find Edward standing in the exact place that I had left him staring up at the sky. When he noticed my approach he smiled at me and I think I forgot to breathe for a second. He looked extremely handsome as he stood under the stars with a crooked grin on his lips that set my heart fluttering. I didn't realise I'd reached his side until he took the blanket from my arms.

"Let us find a spot on the lawn to sit and continue our conversations," I suggested. "All this dancing and walking has made my feet very tired." Edward offered me his arm again and we walked on the grass. It didn't take us long to find somewhere to sit that was far enough away from the patio that we would not be seen easily but close enough to hear if someone called us and where we could still hear the music being played in the ballroom.

Not long after we sat down, I decided to take my hair out of the intricate style Mary had put it in earlier. All the pins had begun to hurt my head and I shook my hair out in relief. While I did this there was a lull in the conversation but it did not feel awkward. When I glanced at Edward I could tell he was struggling with something, but he also seemed unable to take his eyes off of me. After another few moments he spoke up. "Bella, I hope you don't think me too forward but I was wondering if what you told Newton was true, that you were not looking for a husband?"

I thought about how to respond for a minute or so. "It's not that I do not want to marry, it's just that I have yet to meet a man who I would want to marry. Well, that's not entirely true, I have met someone tonight but I highly doubt that he would ever be interested in me in return. But I tell people that I'm not looking for a husband to mainly discourage Sir Michael. He is the most insufferable man I have ever had the misfortune to meet! I would rather die a lonely old maid than marry him."

I had refused to meet his eyes during my explanation but I glanced up at him through my lashes and he was smiling for some reason that I could not comprehend. "Well I'm very pleased to hear that you have not given up on the institution all together and are willing to contemplate a man's proposal."

"And why would that make you so happy?" I sat there, waiting with bated breath, praying that he was implying what I thought he was.

"Because I..." And his response was cut off by the sound of both my cousins and his cousins calling our names. Not a minute later they'd found us.

"There you two are! We've been searching everywhere for you! Have you been out here the whole time?!" demanded Alice.

"Yes we've been out here ever since we left the ballroom. Why? Did you need us for something?" I asked while silently fuming that they had interrupted whatever it was that Edward was about to say.

"I don't think they do. I think they just wanted to be nosy," said Emmett. He chuckled until he noticed the glare that he was receiving from Rose.

"We were not being nosy. We were simply curious as to where you two had been of the past two and a half hours," explained Rose as they all decided to join us on the blanket.

"The past two and a half hours?! I didn't realise that we had been gone so long."

"Well you have. Your cousins were getting very impatient with being made to wait for your return. It took all of our combined efforts but we could only hold them off so long," apologised Jasper, but he only got a glare from Alice as opposed to getting hit.

"Well then, you have my thanks, Jazz. We got so carried away that we did not notice the time," explained Edward. However his words caused my cousins to turn to look at me with identical smiles, meaning that I would have some explaining to do once our guests had left.

It was also then that Alice noticed that my hair was down. "Bella, why is your hair down?! We are supposed to have the same hairstyle, it's our tradition."

"I'm sorry Alice but the pins were really hurting my head. You should take yours down as well; it feels so much more comfortable." As I said this, Rose began unpinning her hair. Out of all of us, she much preferred her hair down, despite society's protests to the contrary. Alice, however, did not look impressed yet went along with it anyway. She'd be thanking me later when they could begin the inquisition that much earlier because we would not have to do our hair.

While they took their hair down, we made easy, light hearted conversation and joked around with each other until I noticed Mary walking towards us. She stopped just before she reached us. "Begging your pardon, my lords and ladies, but her ladyship sent me to request that you all return to the house to say farewell to the guests."

"Oh, of course. Can you tell my mother that we will be there momentarily, please Mary?" asked Alice jumping to her feet.

We all stood up, collected our things and the blanket and returned to the house. When we reached the ballroom, I found that it had emptied significantly since we had left, and there was a myriad of plates, bottles and glasses that the servants had begun to clear away. We met my aunt and uncle in the hallway and joined them as they bid farewell to their guests, all of whom were in varying states of inebriation.

I was pleased to note that Sir Michael was nowhere to be seen. Alice and Rose later informed me that he had left alone about an hour after Edward and I had left the ballroom. Apparently he was not happy that I had gone into the gardens with Edward after refusing to do so with him on numerous occasions.

The Cullens were the last guests to leave but not before my aunt and uncle had made plans to meet with them in the next couple of days. Edward pulled me to the side to talk. "Bella, I know that we have only known each other for one evening but I want to get to know you more. Would it be alright to call on you in the morning?"

I looked into his eyes and saw such hope in them that it gave me hope, hope that he would want to continue our acquaintance and maybe develop it into something more. "It would be more than alright. It would be a delight to see you again so soon, Edward." I couldn't help but smile as I answered him. His answering grin told me that he might feel the same way.

But before anything more could be said, Carlisle called to his sons telling them that they needed to be off. I glanced over and saw that both Emmett and Jasper were stood with my cousins and they were all smiling. Edward bowed and kissed my hand before he took his coat and they left but not without one last smile over his shoulder.

I turned to my cousins and could tell that none of us would be going to sleep any time soon.

We all had a lot of explaining to do.

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What did you all think? Let me know and I might post the other two one-shots I'm writing soon as well as another story that is in the making as we speak.

Natters x


	2. Sort of Sequel

**I've finally uploaded the sort of sequel to this story called _Moonlight Becomes You_. It's this story but from Edward's point of view. Please give it a read, I promise it's not just this story with the he's and she's swapped over, although their shared conversations are obviously the same.**

**Oh and follow me on twitter! I tend to post on there about the stories I'm working on and I'll post a link whenever I update/post a story. My fanfiction account is ff_Natters13 :)**


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